Too late, but City have re-discovered the art of winning games when they have not played well.

It has been the real difference between them and United this season, but this time the genius of Carlos Tevez smashed through the apathy and delivered three undeserved points. Spare a thought for poor Wigan, who remain deep in relegation trouble on a night when they showed they are a side of great ability and impressive character.

The Latics deserved to win it, and might have done but for a world-class save by Joe Hart and some full-stretch defending by Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott.

Shaun Maloney, the man who undermined United’s title lead last season, was the best player on show, and deserved so much more than leaving the Etihad Stadium empty-handed.

This game had been billed as an FA Cup final rehearsal, and City appeared to approach it in bottom gear, even though there was still plenty at stake. It was certainly a reminder that next month’s Wembley clash is anything but a formality, after the major hurdle of Chelsea was cleared in Sunday’s semi-final.

News came through of United twice going behind at Upton Park, briefly reviving memories of last season’s run-in.

That time, the Reds went to the DW Stadium and suffered a shock defeat, thanks to

Maloney’s lovely goal, while City hammered West Brom 4-0 to re-ignite the title race.

But the Blues were in nothing like that mood last night, looking half-paced and struggling to find motivation against a busy and impressive Latics side who look far too good to go down.

Wigan remain in the bottom three but shaped up like a team who fully believe they can escape the drop yet again. Maloney was the best player on the park, popping up in little gaps in the City ranks, prompting his fellow attackers, and being denied by a goal-line clearance from Joleon Lescott.

Roberto Mancini had shuffled his pack after the exertions of Sunday, when the wide open spaces of Wembley and a determined Chelsea assault had clearly had an effect on legs.

Micah Richards came in at right-back, Aleks Kolarov at left-back and Lescott in the centre for a new-look defence, and Wigan fancied their chances of unhinging it.

With the Blues midfield struggling to get a grip, despite the crisp passing of Gareth Barry, Wigan’s neat style posed problems and let it be known that the Blues will face a battle at Wembley on May 11.

Kolarov curled a free-kick inches wide early in the game and Sergio Aguero’s twinkling feet and ambitious curving effort from a tight angle almost brought the Blues a goal, but Wigan showed far brighter attacking intent for the rest of the half.

Richards had to be alert to dash in and head the ball clear just as it dropped for Maloney, who had darted in behind a static defence.

And Maloney was at the heart of the best piece of football of the half, again popping up on the edge of the box and back-heeling Aruna Kone’s astute pass into the path of Franco di Santo.

The tall Argentine, who has been keeping Tevez out of the national team, carved inside Lescott and Kolarov, but Joe Hart pulled off a save of top quality, stretching out an arm and getting enough strength on the block to keep it out.

City broke to the other end and Tevez was a fraction away from giving them the lead, but it had not been good enough by the Blues.

There was a feeling that the hard work had been done in beating United and Chelsea in the course of a memorable week, and that they could sit back on their laurels.

No doubt Mancini, and the more vocal players, disabused them of that notion at half-time.

Mancini also acted decisively, taking off Aguero – goalscoring hero of the United and Chelsea games – and bringing on Edin Dzeko, who had cut a frustrated figure as an unused substitute in those two games.

But again it was Wigan, and that man Maloney, who created the first threat.

A sharp attacking move found Maloney wide left, and he teased Richards – who understandably looked very rusty – and curled in a shot.

Carlos Tevez and Antolin Alcaraz in action

It seemed to have beaten Hart and was heading for the far corner until Lescott blocked and cleared.

Another sweeping Wigan move saw di Santo teeing up Kone, and this time it was a beautifully-timed tackle from Vincent Kompany which denied the Ivorian striker.

City finally began to force the pace after switching to three at the back, and should have taken the lead with quarter of an hour left. Yaya Toure, the gargantuan hero of Wembley three days earlier, had been quiet all match but he produced a pass of top quality to pick out Dzeko’s clever run.

The Bosnian is usually clinical in such situations, but his shot on the turn was blocked by the leg of Wigan keeper Joel Robles.

City had been so poor that when Tevez’s goal came, seven minutes from time, it shone like a diamond in the rough.

Nasri led a counter-attack and Kolarov was up in support.

He passed square for Tevez on the edge of the 18-yard box, but there appeared to be nothing on, especially as the Wigan defence had been sharp and determined all night.

But the Argentine dragged the ball away from Paul Scharner, switched it inside Jordi Gomez and then curved a gorgeous shot into the top corner.

It was a moment of pure quality in a City display which did not deserve it.